Another Great Weekend Against The Spread
It was nip and tuck with a couple of games, but when the dust cleared, we went 4-1 against the spread in our selections this past weekend. That brings our record for the season to 32-14-2 for 69.6%. As a result, we are advising our clients who have played every week to take some off the table and guarantee yourself a winning season. We would like to believe we could continue at this pace, but being logical, 70% is uncanny for this late in the season. Yes, we believe we have found some nice trends in the NFL and have exploited those trends, but they could change in a week. Here is how our selections panned out.
1. College 10-point Sweetheart Teaser
Syracuse +17 ½ vs. South Florida, Michigan State +14 ½ vs. Michigan, and Utah +4 vs. Iowa State.
WON
Our goal with this one was to make two hot teams double digit underdogs in games where we thought they should be favored. Syracuse and Michigan State did not disappoint, and they both pulled off upsets. As for Utah, we liked getting points. The Utes have quietly moved into the Top 10, and if not for TCU, they would be talked about in the BCS at-large bowl picture.
2. College 13-point Sweetheart Teaser
Missouri +1 ½ vs. Colorado, Ohio U +4 vs. Bowling Green, LSU +19 ½ vs. Florida, and California +5 ½ vs. UCLA
WON
We felt Missouri would win versus the Buffs, but we did not like the spread. By moving them to an underdog, we were secure in our beliefs. The same went for Ohio U and Cal. BGU could not beat the Bobcats if they played 50 times this year. We felt the Bears would win or lose by a field goal or less.
We are not about to say we thought LSU would win at Gainesville, but we had faith in defensive coordinator John Chavis to keep this game close.
3. NFL 10-point Sweetheart Teaser
Baltimore +3 vs. Denver, Indianapolis +3 vs. Kansas City, and Cincinnati +3 ½ vs. Tampa Bay
WON
We won this one by a mere half-point, but we will take it. We’ve lost our share by that amount in the past.
We took three teams that we thought would win close games and made them underdogs. We hit it right on with the Ravens and Colts, and we got lucky that the Bengals only lost by three.
4. 13-point Sweetheart Teaser
Green Bay & Washington Under 57, New York Giants & Houston Under 60 ½, San Diego & Oakland Under 57 ½, and Tennessee & Dallas Under 55
Loss
We thought that we had a good one here with teams that either lacked enough offense to hurt us or had good enough defenses to make this one work. It worked with the first two games, but Oakland caught fire late and lost this one for us, and then Tennessee and Dallas scored three times late to pile on.
5. 13-point Sweetheart Teaser
Carolina & Chicago Over 20, St. Louis & Detroit Over 30, Atlanta & Cleveland Over 27 ½, and Tampa Bay & Cincinnati Over 25
WON
This was the opposite approach to selection number 4. We felt we had four games where either weak defense and/or better than advertised offense combined with a huge movement in a small totals line gave us a great advantage. We actually thought that the only game we had to worry about here was the Rams-Lions game, and Detroit covered it all by themselves.
Time To Look At The Bowls
The college season is about half over, so it is time to start looking at the bowl possibilities. Unlike the other places that just pick teams for each bowl, we like to look at it conference by conference and then place the teams in the bowl based on that data. Here goes.
A C C
After starting 0-2 with a loss to James Madison, it looked like Virginia Tech was headed for a major disappointing season. Can you remember 1995? The Hokies lost their first two games to less than mediocre opponents and then ran the table, including a Sugar Bowl win over Texas. Va. Tech could easily run the table once again and head to the Orange Bowl.
Florida State is their principal rival. The Seminoles dismantled Miami Saturday night, but they have to prove they can play that way week after week. We feel that FSU has the talent to win the Coastal Division.
North Carolina State, Georgia Tech, and Miami are good enough to pull off an upset and beat the weaker teams, but we do not feel like any of this trio can win a division flag.
North Carolina, Clemson, Boston College, and Maryland will all vie for six wins and bowl eligibility. We feel like all four will get there, with the Tar Heels getting to seven wins.
1. BCS (Orange)—Virginia Tech
2. Chick-fil-A—Florida State
3. Champs Sports—North Carolina State
4. Sun—Miami
5. Meineke Car Care—North Carolina
6. Music City—Georgia Tech
7. Independence—Clemson
8. Eagle Bank—Maryland
Big East
This league has no dominant team, so don’t expect a 7-0 or 0-7 conference record this season. West Virginia has the most talent, but the Mountaineers play inconsistently. Still, we believe they have enough horses to go 6-1 and grab the league’s automatic BCS bowl berth.
We believe three teams will come up one win short—Connecticut, Pittsburgh, and Louisville. We thought Rutgers might fall below .500 this season, but their win over UConn probably ensured them a sixth win.
South Florida and Cincinnati are not world beaters this season, but both should find a way to reach bowl eligibility.
As for the Syracuse Orangemen, their win at USF Saturday probably put them over the top. We believe SU will contend for the league crown now, and they should win another four games.
Notre Dame is included here, because the Irish are included in the Big East Bowl Alignment. They will get to seven wins and take one of the bids.
1. BCS (Fiesta)—West Virginia
2. Champs Sports—Syracuse
3. Meineke Car Care—Notre Dame
4. Pinstripe—Rutgers
5. PapaJohns—Cincinnati
6. St. Petersburg—South Florida
Big Ten
Ohio State occupies the top spot in the polls this week, but we feel like they will stumble at least one time before the end of the season. Iowa appears to be the one team that can shut down the Buckeyes’ offense, and we believe the Hawkeyes can capture the conference flag.
Michigan State has to be considered in this race, but the Spartans, like Ohio State, must travel to Iowa City.
Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan should fight it out for the next three spots, while Penn State and Northwestern vie for the bottom two. It looks to us like Purdue and Indiana will come up one win short, while Minnesota will run the table the wrong way in the conference.
Because we feel like there will be two undefeated teams from outside the automatic qualifying conferences, and we believe there will be too many one-loss teams available, we are going to call for the Big Ten to miss out on a second BCS bowl bid.
1. BCS (Rose)—Iowa
2. Capital One—Ohio State
3. Outback—Michigan State
4. Gator—Michigan
5. Insight—Wisconsin
6. Texas—Illinois
7. Dallas Football Classic—Penn State
8. Little Caesar’s Pizza—Northwestern
Big 12
Nebraska has the horses to run the table. The Cornhuskers should take care of business with Texas this week, and their only tough opponent remaining would be Missouri. We will call for the ‘Huskers to go 12-0 in the regular season, but we believe they will fall in the Conference Championship Game.
Oklahoma is the team we believe that will win the league’s automatic bid, but we also believe the Sooners will be upset one time in conference play. OU has road games with Missouri, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma State, and it is our opinion that they will lose one of these.
Oklahoma State, Missouri, and Texas are the best of the rest in the league. After that, it looks like there could be five teams finishing at 6-6 (Colorado, Kansas State, Baylor, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech).
1. BCS (Fiesta)—Oklahoma
2. BCS (Sugar)—Nebraska
3. Cotton—Missouri
4. Alamo—Texas
5. Insight—Oklahoma State
6. Holiday—Colorado
7. Texas—Texas A&M
8. Pinstripe—Baylor
9. Dallas Football Classic—Kansas State
Pac-10
Oregon is the top team in the nation today, correct? We say, “not so fast my friends.” If the NCAA staged a post-season tournament in the FBS division, then Oregon might be the favorite to emerge victorious. However, this is a one-loss and you might be out of it brand of football. In the topsy-turvy Pac-10, there are too many good offenses to give any team a great shot at going 9-0. Thus, we pick the Ducks to stub their webbed feet at least one time. They will end up in Pasadena.
Stanford, Cal, Arizona, and Oregon State will gain bowl eligibility, while Washington, UCLA, and Arizona State might all end up one win short. With Southern Cal ineligible, it looks like there will be an opening for an at-large team to take a bowl bid.
1. BCS (Rose)—Oregon
2. Alamo—Stanford
3. Holiday—Arizona
4. Sun—California
5. Las Vegas—Oregon State
6. Kraft Fight Hunger—At-large team needed
SEC
Alabama might still be the best team in the land, but there is a chance they will never move up enough spots to play for the title. We believe the Tide will win out and eliminate their arch-rival from the big game.
Auburn could enter the season finale at 11-0 and be looking at a possible National Championship Game bid, but we believe they will fall to ‘Bama.
L S U is the luckiest undefeated team in the land, but their luck will run out a couple times. Arkansas will win at least nine games, while the two Mississippi schools could end up 6-6 to make the enter Western Division bowl eligible.
The East will be lucky to send four teams to bowls, and it is a remote possibility that only two will get to six wins. South Carolina and Florida will decide the division champion in their game in Gainesville in November. We’ll give the edge to the Gators, and then the Gators will lose a second time to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
1. BCS (Sugar)—Alabama
2. BCS (Orange)—Auburn
3. Capital One—South Carolina
4. Outback—L S U
5. Cotton—Arkansas
6. Chick-fil-A—Florida
7. Gator—Georgia
8. Music City—Mississippi State
9. Liberty—Ole Miss
10. PapaJohns—Kentucky
Mountain West
Don’t engrave the letters T, C, and U on the conference championship trophy just yet. Utah is also undefeated and in the top 10. The Utes host the Frogs, and Utah has already enjoyed two undefeated seasons in the last six seasons. The big game takes place in Salt Lake City on November 6.
We will call the Horned Frogs the winner because we picked them to go 12-0 before the season started.
Utah could easily finish 11-1 and should finish at least 10-2. Air Force has the rockets to win nine times. San Diego State should become bowl eligible and play in a bowl for the first time in a dozen years. BYU has a much easier schedule down the stretch, and we believe the Cougars will get their sixth win.
Disclaimer: Because we believe TCU will get a rematch with Boise State in a BCS Bowl and because we believe the Pac-10 will not satisfy all its bowl arrangements, and because Utah will soon be a member there, we believe that an 11-1 Ute team could end up being dealt to a Pac-10 spot.
1. BCS At-Large (NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME)—T C U
2. Las Vegas—Air Force
3. Poinsettia—Utah (See Above Disclaimer)
4. Independence—B Y U
5. Armed Forces—At-large spot to ARMY
6. New Mexico— San Diego State
WAC
Boise State has two tough games remaining. By tough, we are talking about games where they may not win by three touchdowns or more. The Broncos should run the table and finish the regular season ranked at the top in the human polls (unless some shady voters purposely vote them lower to give a BCS conference team a better chance to crack the National Championship Game).
Nevada could be 11-0 when Boise State visits Reno on Friday night, November 26. The Wolf Pack have a chance to play big spoiler, and if they should happen to pull off the unlikely upset and then take care of business a week later at Louisiana Tech, then who could say they don’t deserve to play in a BCS Bowl.
Hawaii will win enough games to earn their home bowl’s bid. Fresno State, Idaho, and Louisiana Tech should all figure in the picture.
1. BCS (NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME)—Boise State
2. Humanitarian—Nevada
3. New Mexico—Louisiana Tech
4. Hawaii—Hawaii
5. Kraft Fight Hunger—Fresno State
Conference USA
Houston lost not one but two quarterbacks against UCLA, and with that lost any chance to have a Boise State or TCU type of season. We doubt any league team will go 8-0 in conference play, and 6-2 could be enough to win a spot in the conference championship game.
Central Florida, Southern Mississippi, and East Carolina all have a shot in the East, while SMU and UTEP appear to be the top contenders in the West. Houston still has a shot even with their number three quarterback, while Tulsa still has a mathematical chance. All seven teams should gain bowl eligibility.
1. Liberty—Central Florida
2. Hawaii—S M U
3. Armed Forces—Tulsa
4. St. Petersburg—Southern Mississippi
5. New Orleans—Houston
6. Eagle Bank—East Carolina
M A C
Northern Illinois showed the rest of the league that they have returned to the top of the heap after a few years away when they clobbered Temple this past weekend. Look for the Owls and Huskies to meet again in December, where we believe NIU will prevail yet again.
Toledo should recover from the blowout loss at Boise State and start building up momentum. They face Northern Illinois in Dekalb, and Huskie Stadium is the top home field advantage in the MAC. We’ll give the edge to NIU, but we believe Toledo will gain bowl eligibility and possibly win eight games.
Ohio and Miami of Ohio should get to that magical seven win number, and if so, we expect both to get bowl invitations.
1. Little Caesar’s Pizza—Northern Illinois
2. G M A C—Temple
3. Humanitarian—Miami of Ohio
4. At-Large Bowl—Ohio U
Service Academies
Navy is not as talented this year as in recent seasons, but the Midshipmen should find a way to win six games. One of those may not be Army, because the Black Knights may be the better team this season. However, Navy has a guaranteed bid if they win six times, while Army does not. They have a provisional agreement with the Armed Forces Bowl if they have six wins prior to the Navy game, and either the MWC or CUSA is unable to supply enough bowl eligible teams for their allotted bids.
1. Poinsettia Bowl—Navy
2. Armed Force Bowl—Army
Sunbelt
There really is only one good team in the SBC this season. Troy should run the table and advance to the New Orleans Bowl. As for the runner-up spot, it could come from Middle Tennessee, Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette, or even Louisiana Monroe. Don’t expect a third team to emerge with bowl eligibility.
1. New Orleans—Troy
2. G M A C—Middle Tennessee
The PiRate Ratings
We get e-mails from many of you, especially those who purchase our selections (www.piratings.webs.com) asking how we could rank a two-loss team ahead of an undefeated team, maybe even one that beat the two-loss team.
Remember this: The PiRate Ratings are not rankings and not a poll. They are predictive in nature and always look forward and not backward. LSU beat Florida in Gainesville, but the Gators stay 1.1 points ahead of the Tigers. That is because we believe that if the two played again this weekend in Gainesville, Florida would win by 1.1 points plus the home field advantage we assigned for that game (plus or minus certain intangibles that we use that could actually move the predicted spread by as much as two touchdowns in either direction).
| NCAA Top 25 October 4, 2010 | ||||
| Rank | Team | PiRate | Won | Lost |
| 1 | Oregon | 130.5 | 6 | 0 |
| 2 | Alabama | 129.5 | 5 | 1 |
| 3 | Boise State | 128.7 | 5 | 0 |
| 4 | T C U | 127.3 | 6 | 0 |
| 5 | Florida State | 125.7 | 5 | 1 |
| 6 | South Carolina | 125.5 | 4 | 1 |
| 7 | Arkansas | 125.3 | 4 | 1 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 124.4 | 5 | 0 |
| 9 | Ohio State | 124.3 | 6 | 0 |
| 10 | Nebraska | 123.0 | 5 | 0 |
| 11 | Stanford | 122.0 | 5 | 1 |
| 12 | Iowa | 121.6 | 4 | 1 |
| 13 | Auburn | 119.0 | 6 | 0 |
| 14 | Virginia Tech | 118.9 | 4 | 2 |
| 15 | Miami (Fla) | 118.5 | 3 | 2 |
| 16 | California | 117.5 | 3 | 2 |
| 17 | Florida | 117.3 | 4 | 2 |
| 18 | Arizona | 116.7 | 4 | 1 |
| 19 | North Carolina | 116.6 | 3 | 2 |
| 20 | L S U | 116.2 | 6 | 0 |
| 21 | Texas | 116.0 | 3 | 2 |
| 22 | Utah | 115.8 | 5 | 0 |
| 23 | Texas A&M | 115.0 | 3 | 2 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | 114.6 | 5 | 1 |
| 25 | Georgia Tech | 114.6 | 4 | 2 |
| Note: Ratings rounded to one decimal point | ||||
| even though I rank them to two decimal points | ||||
| Atlantic Coast Conference | |||
| Atlantic Division | |||
| Team | Conf. | Overall | Rating |
| Florida State | 3-0 | 5-1 | 125.7 |
| Clemson | 0-2 | 2-3 | 113.2 |
| North Carolina State | 2-1 | 5-1 | 106.7 |
| Boston College | 0-2 | 2-3 | 102.0 |
| Wake Forest | 1-2 | 2-4 | 100.3 |
| Maryland | 1-0 | 4-1 | 95.4 |
| Coastal Division | |||
| Team | Conf. | Overall | Rating |
| Virginia Tech | 2-0 | 4-2 | 118.9 |
| Miami-FL | 1-1 | 3-2 | 118.5 |
| North Carolina | 1-1 | 3-2 | 116.6 |
| Georgia Tech | 3-1 | 4-2 | 114.6 |
| Virginia | 0-2 | 2-3 | 95.9 |
| Duke | 0-2 | 1-4 | 91.0 |
| Big East Conference | |||
| Team | Conf. | Overall | Rating |
| West Virginia | 0-0 | 4-1 | 113.9 |
| Cincinnati | 0-0 | 2-3 | 110.0 |
| Connecticut | 0-1 | 3-3 | 107.5 |
| Pittsburgh | 0-0 | 2-3 | 107.4 |
| South Florida | 0-1 | 3-2 | 102.6 |
| Syracuse | 1-0 | 4-1 | 101.2 |
| Louisville | 0-0 | 3-2 | 98.3 |
| Rutgers | 1-0 | 3-2 | 94.3 |
| Big Ten | |||
| Team | Conf. | Overall | Rating |
| Ohio State | 2-0 | 6-0 | 124.3 |
| Iowa | 1-0 | 4-1 | 121.6 |
| Wisconsin | 1-1 | 5-1 | 114.6 |
| Michigan State | 2-0 | 6-0 | 114.0 |
| Michigan | 1-1 | 5-1 | 107.4 |
| Illinois | 1-1 | 3-2 | 104.1 |
| Penn State | 0-2 | 3-3 | 103.5 |
| Northwestern | 1-1 | 5-1 | 96.1 |
| Purdue | 1-0 | 3-2 | 95.4 |
| Minnesota | 0-2 | 1-5 | 94.6 |
| Indiana | 0-2 | 3-2 | 92.6 |
| Big 12 | |||
| North Division | |||
| Team | Conf. | Overall | Rating |
| Nebraska | 1-0 | 5-0 | 123.0 |
| Missouri | 1-0 | 5-0 | 113.9 |
| Colorado | 0-1 | 3-2 | 102.6 |
| Kansas State | 1-1 | 4-1 | 95.6 |
| Kansas | 0-1 | 2-3 | 95.0 |
| Iowa State | 1-1 | 3-3 | 94.9 |
| South Division | |||
| Team | Conf. | Overall | Rating |
| Oklahoma | 1-0 | 5-0 | 124.4 |
| Texas | 1-1 | 3-2 | 116.0 |
| Texas A&M | 0-1 | 3-2 | 115.0 |
| Texas Tech | 1-2 | 3-2 | 107.6 |
| Baylor | 1-1 | 4-2 | 106.3 |
| Oklahoma State | 1-0 | 5-0 | 105.6 |
| Conference USA | |||
| East Division | |||
| Team | Conf. | Overall | Rating |
| Central Florida | 1-0 | 3-2 | 99.0 |
| Southern Mississippi | 1-1 | 4-2 | 95.0 |
| East Carolina | 3-0 | 3-2 | 92.7 |
| U A B | 0-2 | 1-4 | 85.7 |
| Marshall | 0-1 | 1-4 | 84.8 |
| Memphis | 0-3 | 1-5 | 71.9 |
| West Division | |||
| Team | Conf. | Overall | Rating |
| Houston | 2-0 | 3-2 | 99.3 |
| S M U | 3-0 | 4-2 | 97.1 |
| Tulsa | 1-2 | 3-3 | 93.2 |
| U T E P | 2-1 | 5-1 | 87.4 |
| Rice | 0-2 | 1-5 | 82.6 |
| Tulane | 0-1 | 2-3 | 76.0 |
| Independents | |||
| Team | Overall | Rating | |
| Notre Dame | 3-3 | 111.2 | |
| Navy | 3-2 | 100.0 | |
| Army | 4-2 | 88.5 | |
| Mid American Conference | |||
| East Division | |||
| Team | Conf. | Overall | Rating |
| Temple | 1-1 | 4-2 | 92.7 |
| Miami (O) | 2-0 | 3-3 | 86.5 |
| Ohio U | 2-1 | 3-3 | 86.1 |
| Kent St. | 1-1 | 2-3 | 85.5 |
| Buffalo | 1-0 | 2-3 | 82.5 |
| Bowling Green | 0-2 | 1-5 | 76.2 |
| Akron | 0-2 | 0-6 | 71.3 |
| West Division | |||
| Team | Conf. | Overall | Rating |
| Northern Illinois | 2-0 | 4-2 | 95.9 |
| Central Michigan | 1-2 | 2-4 | 87.7 |
| Toledo | 2-0 | 3-3 | 84.6 |
| Western Michigan | 1-1 | 2-3 | 78.4 |
| Ball State | 1-1 | 2-4 | 77.8 |
| Eastern Michigan | 0-3 | 0-6 | 67.6 |
| Mountain West Conference | |||
| Team | Conf. | Overall | Rating |
| T C U | 2-0 | 6-0 | 127.3 |
| Utah | 2-0 | 5-0 | 115.8 |
| Air Force | 3-0 | 5-1 | 106.7 |
| S. D. State | 0-1 | 3-2 | 99.2 |
| B Y U | 1-1 | 2-4 | 97.3 |
| Wyoming | 0-2 | 2-4 | 91.9 |
| UNLV | 1-1 | 1-5 | 89.4 |
| Colo. State | 0-2 | 1-5 | 84.2 |
| New Mexico | 0-2 | 0-6 | 73.4 |
| Pac-10 Conference | |||
| Team | Conf. | Overall | Rating |
| Oregon | 3-0 | 6-0 | 130.5 |
| Stanford | 2-1 | 5-1 | 122.0 |
| California | 1-1 | 3-2 | 117.5 |
| Arizona | 1-1 | 4-1 | 116.7 |
| Oregon St. | 2-0 | 3-2 | 113.7 |
| Southern Cal | 1-2 | 4-2 | 112.0 |
| Washington | 1-1 | 2-3 | 109.6 |
| U C L A | 1-2 | 3-3 | 107.2 |
| Arizona St. | 1-2 | 3-3 | 107.0 |
| Wash. St. | 0-3 | 1-5 | 90.0 |
| Southeastern Conference | |||
| East Division | |||
| Team | Conf. | Overall | Rating |
| South Carolina | 2-1 | 4-1 | 125.5 |
| Florida | 2-2 | 4-2 | 117.3 |
| Georgia | 1-3 | 2-4 | 110.5 |
| Kentucky | 0-3 | 3-3 | 103.3 |
| Tennessee | 0-3 | 2-4 | 98.9 |
| Vanderbilt | 1-1 | 2-3 | 98.1 |
| West Division | |||
| Team | Conf. | Overall | Rating |
| Alabama | 2-1 | 5-1 | 129.5 |
| Arkansas | 1-1 | 4-1 | 125.3 |
| Auburn | 3-0 | 6-0 | 119.0 |
| L S U | 4-0 | 6-0 | 116.2 |
| Mississippi State | 1-2 | 4-2 | 113.7 |
| Ole Miss | 1-1 | 3-2 | 102.9 |
| Sunbelt Conference | |||
| Team | Conf. | Overall | Rating |
| Troy | 2-0 | 3-2 | 91.9 |
| Middle Tennessee | 1-1 | 2-3 | 83.3 |
| Florida International | 1-0 | 1-4 | 81.9 |
| Arkansas State | 2-2 | 2-4 | 80.1 |
| U. of Louisiana | 2-1 | 2-3 | 79.9 |
| North Texas | 1-2 | 1-5 | 79.5 |
| Florida Atlantic | 0-2 | 1-4 | 78.5 |
| Louisiana-Monroe | 1-1 | 2-3 | 75.4 |
| Western Kentucky | 0-1 | 0-5 | 73.7 |
| Western Athletic Conference | |||
| Team | Conf. | Overall | Rating |
| Boise State | 1-0 | 5-0 | 128.7 |
| Nevada | 1-0 | 6-0 | 109.5 |
| Fresno State | 1-1 | 3-2 | 96.6 |
| Utah State | 0-2 | 2-4 | 94.5 |
| Idaho | 0-0 | 3-2 | 93.4 |
| Hawaii | 2-0 | 4-2 | 95.0 |
| Louisiana Tech | 1-1 | 2-4 | 93.0 |
| San Jose State | 0-1 | 1-5 | 79.6 |
| New Mexico State | 0-1 | 1-4 | 72.3 |
| This Week’s Games–PiRate Ratings | |||
| Home Team Advantage Added (2-5 points) | |||
| Wednesday, October 13 | |||
| Favorite | Underdog | Spread | Score |
| Central Florida | MARSHALL | 11.2 | 31-20 |
| Thursday, October 14 | |||
| Favorite | Underdog | Spread | Score |
| WEST VIRGINIA | South Florida | 14.8 | 35-20 |
| KANSAS | Kansas State | 1.9 | 19-17 |
| Friday, October 15 | |||
| Favorite | Underdog | Spread | Score |
| Cincinnati | LOUISVILLE | 9.2 | 30-21 |
| Saturday, October 16 | |||
| Favorite | Underdog | Spread | Score |
| Arkansas | AUBURN | 3.3 | 34-31 |
| Baylor | COLORADO | 0.7 | 31-30 |
| FLORIDA STATE | Boston College | 27.7 | 41-13 |
| FLORIDA | Mississippi State | 7.1 | 27-20 |
| GEORGIA TECH | Middle Tennessee | 34.8 | 56-21 |
| GEORGIA | Vanderbilt | 15.9 | 26-10 |
| INDIANA | Arkansas State | 15.5 | 34-18 |
| South Carolina | KENTUCKY | 19.2 | 40-21 |
| WESTERN KENTUCKY | Louisiana-Monroe | 0.8 | 26-25 |
| MICHIGAN STATE | Illinois | 12.9 | 33-20 |
| Miami (Fl) | DUKE | 25.0 | 45-20 |
| North Carolina St. | EAST CAROLINA | 11.5 | 42-30 |
| NEBRASKA | Texas | 11.0 | 21-10 |
| RUTGERS | Army | 8.8 | 27-18 |
| Pittsburgh | SYRACUSE | 3.2 | 20-17 |
| OKLAHOMA | Iowa State | 33.0 | 45-12 |
| CLEMSON | Maryland | 20.8 | 35-14 |
| Southern Miss | MEMPHIS | 20.6 | 35-14 |
| TEXAS A&M | Missouri | 4.6 | 35-30 |
| NORTH TEXAS | Florida Int’l | 0.1 | 27-27 to ot |
| North Carolina | VIRGINIA | 17.7 | 31-13 |
| VIRGINIA TECH | Wake Forest | 21.6 | 35-13 |
| Oregon State | WASHINGTON | 1.1 | 28-27 |
| Arizona | WASHINGTON STATE | 23.7 | 34-10 |
| ALABAMA | Ole Miss | 30.1 | 37-7 |
| CENTRAL MICHIGAN | Miami (O) | 4.2 | 31-27 |
| PURDUE | Minnesota | 3.8 | 28-24 |
| TEXAS TECH | Oklahoma State | 5.0 | 38-33 |
| TROY | Louisiana-Lafayette | 15.0 | 42-27 |
| TEMPLE | Bowling Green | 19.5 | 38-18 |
| BALL STATE | Eastern Michigan | 12.7 | 33-20 |
| OHIO U | Akron | 17.3 | 27-10 |
| U n l v | COLORADO STATE | 2.2 | 28-26 |
| NOTRE DAME | Western Michigan | 36.3 | 49-13 |
| California | SOUTHERN CAL | 2.0 | 30-28 |
| Iowa | MICHIGAN | 11.2 | 21-10 |
| Houston | RICE | 14.7 | 38-23 |
| NORTHERN ILLINOIS | Buffalo | 16.4 | 30-14 |
| NAVY | S m u | 5.9 | 34-28 |
| U A B | U t e p | 1.3 | 31-30 |
| LOUISIANA TECH | Idaho | 2.6 | 24-21 |
| T C U | B y u | 33.0 | 45-12 |
| Utah | WYOMING | 20.9 | 45-24 |
| TULSA | Tulane | 20.2 | 34-14 |
| Ohio State | WISCONSIN | 6.7 | 31-24 |
| TOLEDO | Kent State | 1.6 | 30-28 |
| Boise State | SAN JOSE STATE | 46.6 | 56-10 |
| Air Force | SAN DIEGO STATE | 4.5 | 31-26 |
| FRESNO STATE | New Mexico State | 27.3 | 40-13 |
| Nevada | HAWAII | 10.5 | 38-27 |
| This Week’s Games–Mean & Biased Ratings | |||
| Wednesday, October 13 | |||
| Favorite | Underdog | Mean | Biased |
| Central Florida | MARSHALL | 30-21 | 35-14 |
| Thursday, October 14 | |||
| Favorite | Underdog | Mean | Biased |
| WEST VIRGINIA | South Florida | 28-16 | 27-20 |
| Kansas State | KANSAS | 19-14 | 21-12 |
| Friday, October 15 | |||
| Favorite | Underdog | Mean | Biased |
| Cincinnati | LOUISVILLE | 27-24 | 28-22 |
| Saturday, October 16 | |||
| Favorite | Underdog | Mean | Biased |
| AUBURN | Arkansas | 34-31 | 34-30 |
| Baylor | COLORADO | 28-27 | 27-24 |
| FLORIDA STATE | Boston College | 34-12 | 41-17 |
| FLORIDA | Mississippi State | 27-17 | 27-20 |
| GEORGIA TECH | Middle Tennessee | 38-19 | 49-16 |
| GEORGIA | Vanderbilt | 27-17 | 35-13 |
| INDIANA | Arkansas State | 35-24 | 38-17 |
| South Carolina | KENTUCKY | 30-20 | 31-24 |
| WESTERN KENTUCKY | Louisiana-Monroe | 25-24 | 23-27 |
| MICHIGAN STATE | Illinois | 23-14 | 24-17 |
| Miami (Fl) | DUKE | 34-17 | 38-14 |
| North Carolina St. | EAST CAROLINA | 30-21 | 34-27 |
| NEBRASKA | Texas | 27-14 | 27-10 |
| RUTGERS | Army | 28-24 | 24-17 |
| Pittsburgh | SYRACUSE | 24-22 | 17-20 |
| OKLAHOMA | Iowa State | 31-12 | 31-10 |
| CLEMSON | Maryland | 26-17 | 24-19 |
| Southern Miss | MEMPHIS | 38-23 | 45-13 |
| Missouri | TEXAS A&M | 29-28 | 32-27 |
| Florida Int’l | NORTH TEXAS | 27-25 | 28-23 |
| North Carolina | VIRGINIA | 23-17 | 24-10 |
| VIRGINIA TECH | Wake Forest | 33-10 | 30-9 |
| Oregon State | WASHINGTON | 28-24 | 31-20 |
| Arizona | WASHINGTON STATE | 41-20 | 44-20 |
| ALABAMA | Ole Miss | 35-12 | 34-10 |
| CENTRAL MICHIGAN | Miami (O) | 33-24 | 30-27 |
| PURDUE | Minnesota | 28-21 | 28-20 |
| Oklahoma State | TEXAS TECH | 34-31 | 34-27 |
| TROY | Louisiana-Lafayette | 41-24 | 41-24 |
| TEMPLE | Bowling Green | 28-12 | 28-12 |
| BALL STATE | Eastern Michigan | 28-14 | 21-14 |
| OHIO U | Akron | 34-12 | 24-14 |
| COLORADO STATE | U n l v | 28-27 | 27-25 |
| NOTRE DAME | Western Michigan | 38-21 | 41-13 |
| SOUTHERN CAL | California | 34-34 to ot | 34-35 |
| Iowa | MICHIGAN | 23-17 | 20-16 |
| Houston | RICE | 38-27 | 38-33 |
| NORTHERN ILLINOIS | Buffalo | 33-21 | 32-20 |
| NAVY | S m u | 31-27 | 31-35 |
| U A B | U t e p | 31-30 | 27-41 |
| Idaho | LOUISIANA TECH | 24-21 | 17-24 |
| T C U | B y u | 35-10 | 35-7 |
| Utah | WYOMING | 42-24 | 45-17 |
| TULSA | Tulane | 35-19 | 38-17 |
| Ohio State | WISCONSIN | 24-16 | 24-17 |
| TOLEDO | Kent State | 31-23 | 38-24 |
| Boise State | SAN JOSE STATE | 45-13 | 63-14 |
| Air Force | SAN DIEGO STATE | 31-27 | 34-24 |
| FRESNO STATE | New Mexico State | 35-10 | 44-14 |
| Nevada | HAWAII | 41-33 | 42-37 |
The Pi-Rate Ratings 